Wednesday, November 30, 2011

This February 10-12 Philadelphia will host the annual PA Progressive Summit. Early registration is available through Dec. 15th. More information available at: http://www.paprogressivesummit.org/. Something to think about when planning ahead.

As
our nation struggles with an increasingly hungry and obese population,
access to healthy, affordable food remains one of the biggest obstacles
to reducing obesity. More than 24 million Americans live in “food
deserts,” defined as either urban areas lacking access to a supermarket
within one mile, or rural areas lacking similar access within 10 miles.

To
address this growing economic and health problem facing America, a
bipartisan group of Members of Congress today introduced legislation to
create a national initiative to expand access to healthful, fresh food
choices in underserved communities. The bill takes a market-based
solution to address the fact that high start-up costs and limited access
to credit often prevent local grocery operators from opening new
outlets in food deserts, even though many that have opened in these
communities have been commercially successful.

The Healthy Food Financing Initiative
would have a major economic impact by creating and retaining
good-paying, steady jobs; revitalizing communities by developing and
renovating neighborhood retailers; and generating local tax revenue by
strengthening commercial corridors. On average, a 50,000 square foot
supermarket creates 250 full-time jobs, associated construction work and
expanded opportunities for American farmers.

“The Healthy Food Financing Initiative
is a public-private solution to help address one of the most severe
public health issues facing America, the growing obesity epidemic,” said
Schwartz, who has championed this initiative since 2009 and serves as
vice chair of the New Democrat Coalition’s Health Care Task Force.
“By establishing healthier food options in underserved areas, millions
of Americans will have the opportunity to live longer, healthier lives,
saving billions in health care costs. This is a vitally needed effort
from a public-health standpoint, and just as importantly from an
economic perspective. This initiative would stimulate local economic
development, strengthen and revitalize neighborhoods, and put tens of
thousands of Americans to work.”

“Families
from communities across the country, which have been hit hardest by the
economic downturn not only struggle to find jobs, but also with the
option of healthy foods for their families, “said Burgess, who serves as Vice
Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on
Health and is Chairman of the Congressional Health Care Caucus.
“The availability of healthy food options is vital to help curb
preventable diseases and increase the quality of life in some of our
country’s most vulnerable populations. This legislation intertwines two
of these basic needs: secure jobs and healthy food options, and will
benefit not only these communities, but our country as a whole.”

“More
and more Americans are suffering from dietary diseases – like obesity
and diabetes – because they don’t have easy access to fresh, healthy
foods in their communities,” said Blumenauer, who recently released a report entitled Growing Opportunities: Family Farm Values for Reforming the Farm Bill.
“A nationwide Healthy Food Financing Initiative would make low-interest
loans available to bring quality grocery stores and farmers’ markets to
underserved neighborhoods. This initiative helps support local
businesses and jobs and will give families the opportunity to make
healthier choices when it comes to food.”

“Obesity and diabetes rates are reaching crisis proportions in our country and it is time to take aggressive action,” said Gillibrand,
who, as the first New Yorker to serve on the Senate Agriculture
Committee in nearly 40 years, is helping lead the fight in the Senate to
combat child obesity and promote good health. “Millions of New
Yorkers do not have access to fresh, healthy food. By building new
grocery stores in underserved areas across the state we can give people
the opportunity to live longer, healthier lives, save billions in health
care costs, and create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs.”

“Supermarkets
and grocery stores represent more than healthy food choices – they are
also about creating jobs, supporting community businesses and
revitalizing neighborhoods,” said Judith Bell, PolicyLink’s President.
“The bills introduced today represent a powerful next phase in the
effort to create equitable access to healthy food across America.”

The Healthy Food Financing Initiative is based on the Pennsylvania
Fresh Food Financing Initiative, which has helped create public-private
partnerships to maintain or expand access to healthful, fresh food in
more than 30 communities.

Allegheny
County Executive Dan Onorato today announced his endorsement of State Rep.
Eugene DePasquale (D,York) for Pennsylvania Auditor General.

“Eugene is clearly a bold reformer who will aggressively identify
waste and inefficiency in the government,” said Onorato.“He helped pass one of the strongest
open records laws in the country, and was the first legislator to post his
expenses online.”

“I am honored to receive Dan’s support and endorsement,” said
DePasquale.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

It's
that time of year again! The Roslyn Film Festival Committee is once
again seeking your original short film submissions for screening during
our 6th Annual Roslyn Film Festival.
Regardless of your experience as a filmmaker-pro, semi-pro, amateur, or
hobbyist-the Roslyn Film Festival is one of our community's most
popular events, and a great way to get your work seen by a live
audience. We encourage you to submit your film today!

This year's screening will take place on Saturday, March 31, 2012. The early entry fee is only $15 for submissions received by February 1, 2012.
(The standard entry fee is $25 for all films submitted from Feb 2 until
March 1, 2012.) Proceeds from the entry fees, ticket cost, and sales of
raffle tickets and concessions at the event benefit the Roslyn
Volunteer Fire Department.

The last FEC report round up I posted was the pre-general in
2010. What happened to them? I do the quarterly FEC reports. The absence is in part this was because I didn’t have
reliable Internet access, in part because life just got busy. But I’m hoping to get caught up. Since the post general and year end reports
can be messy, I’ve left those off for now and just picked up with the first
quarter of 2011. I might go back later
and pick up on specifics and unusual items in the post general and year
end. The other two 2011 quarterly
reports should be along shortly.

1st Quarter 2011 FEC Reports

Okay, here we go again.
First off, you can browse these reports yourself at www.fec.gov.
As always I apologize in advance for any errors or
misinterpretations. I am neither a
lawyer nor an accountant, just an interested observer and these thoughts should
be taken as such.

This report covers January – March, 2011. Where there are two numbers in a category the first is for the quarter, the second is for the election cycle total.

All but one unelected candidates from the last election have
terminated their campaign committees (Dee Adcock in 13th
district, Bryan Lentz in the 7th,
and Patrick Murphy in the 8th), so I haven’t included any
information about them here. The 6th
district challenger, Dr. Manan Trivedi has declared his candidacy for the 2012
election so his report is included.

Watch the itemized (over $250 donations), unitemized
(smaller donations), and PAC ratios.
Generally, you will find unitemized to be about 10% the amount of
itemized and PAC’s either a half or quarter the amount of the itemized
donations., at least for incumbents. In
open races or in challenger’s reports, there are usually fewer PAC
donations. They like to stick with
people they are fairly certain are going to win.

Just about everyone posted reports in alphabetical order,
which makes them easier to deal with. My
thanks to those preparing the reports for that.

Cash On Hand At Beginning Of
Reporting Period 23,521.58
Total Receipts 1,551.05
Total Disbursements 2,905.43

Cash On Hand At Close Of The
Reporting Period 22,167.20

There is a $1,300 receipt on the
list of receipts that is not reflected in the summary. There may be a reason for this that I don’t
understand but it does make me wonder if an amended report will be
forthcoming. Since refunds are listed
here but none on the detailed listings it is possible that the amount was put
on the wrong line.

Jim Gerlach, incumbent
Republican

Receipts

Itemized 76,700.00

Unitemized 8,786.00

Total of Contributions from
Individuals 85,486.00 / 85,896.00

PACs 146,185.00 / 146,208.67

Total Contributions: 231,671.00 /
232,104.67

Offsets to Operating Expenditures
(Refunds, etc.): 400.00 / 643.27

Other Receipts: 153.78 / 665.99

Total Receipts: 232,224.78 /
232,224.78

Disbursements

Operating Expenditures: 119,569.78
/ 192,434.38

Other Disbursements: 2,950.00 /
39,650.00

Total Disbursements: 122,519.78 /
232,084.38

Cash Summary.

Cash On Hand At Beginning Of
Reporting Period 128,070.33
Total Receipts 232,224.78
Total Disbursements 122,519.78

Cash On Hand At Close Of The
Reporting Period 237,775.33

Of the 62 individual itemized
contributions, 13 were from out of state.
Occupationally there were a lot of attorneys and corporate executives,
as well as one prosperous farmer. Seven
people have maxed out their donations for the entire election cycle, three have
donated $2500, two $2400 and one over $2400.
In the PAC donations, there were clusters in finance, medicine, and
pharmaceutical groups.

Pat Meehan, Republican

Receipts

Itemized 207,305.00

Unitemized 11,525.00

Total of Contributions from
Individuals 218,830.00 / 238,180.00

Other Political Committees 400.00
/ 1,600.00

PACs 114,800.00 / 128.750.00

Total Contributions: 334,030.00 /
368,530.00

Transfers from Other Authorized
Committees: 4,219.60 / 4,219.60

Other Receipts: 0.00 / 466.00

Total Receipts: 338,249.60 /
373,215.60

Disbursements

Operating Expenditures: 66,704.31
/ 376,006.42

Contribution Refunds: 0.00 /
8,000.00

Other Disbursements: /

Total Disbursements: 66,704.31 /
384,006.42

Cash Summary.

Cash On Hand At Beginning Of
Reporting Period 44,941.68
Total Receipts 338,249.60
Total Disbursements 66,704.31

Cash On Hand At Close Of The
Reporting Period 316,486.97

Congressman Meehan is a red meat
Republican. About13 donors have maxed
out at $5,000, which means they cannot donate any more during this election cycle,
an additional 26 have donated $2,500. Another
11 (or thereabouts) have donated more than $2400. Only around 10% of his donors are from out of
state. One donor is listed as
contributing more than $5,000, so an amendment may be in order. The three Susquehanna Investment Group
individuals who contributed so much to Anthony Hardy Williams’s gubernatorial
campaign last year, and are strong proponents of charter schools, have donated
to Meehan. In PACS there are some
notable GOP leadership and related PACS, two connection to Congressman Darrell
Issa, Great Eight Committee and the Invest in a Strong and Secure America
PAC. Eric Cantor’s ERIC PAC, Mitt Romney’s
Free and Strong America PAC. Even the
KochPAC donated, yep the Koch Brothers company gave Meehan money. Congressmen Pitts and Gerlach donated. The Wine and Spirits Wholesalers and National
Beer Wholesalers donated. One group that
stood out was the Turkish Coalition NJ PAC; no idea what that’s about. In disbursements you see the standard rent, fundraising
expenses, accounting, etc. A fundraising
firm received over $12,000. Meehan has
hired Rick Santorum’s former communication person, or at least her firm. Oddly, he paid Charlie Dent $225.00 in
dues. It doesn’t say what the dues are
for. The campaign is making car
payments. One item that jumped out at me
– The Academy of Music is given a contribution of $4,400. That might have been an event expense. It was paid on January 26 so it might have
been a thank you party, but it is listed as a contribution not an event.

8th Congressional District

Mike Fitzpatrick, Republican

Receipts

Itemized 93,000.00

Unitemized 27,819.00

Total of Contributions from
Individuals 120,819.00 / 157,739.00

Political Party Committees: 1,000.00 / 1,000.00

PACs 86,676.88 / 149,376.88

The Candidate: /

Total Contributions: 208,495.88 /
308,115.88

Offsets to Operating Expenditures
(Refunds, etc.): 256.30 / 256.30

Other Receipts: 17.60 / 41.21

Total Receipts: 208,769.78 /
308,413.39

Disbursements

Operating Expenditures: 91,204.80
/ 252,632.29

Contribution Refunds: 0.00 /
2,960.00

Other Disbursements: 0.00 / 100.00

Total Disbursements: 91,204.80 /
255,692.29

Cash Summary.

Cash On Hand At Beginning Of
Reporting Period 28,060.03
Total Receipts 208,495.88
Total Disbursements 91,204.80

Cash On Hand At Close Of The
Reporting Period 145,625.01

Congressman Fitzpatrick raised less money than the other
incumbents in the first quarter, and has only one maxed out donor at
$5,000. His report is chronological not
alphabetical so it is difficult to see how many others donated $2,500, etc, but
glancing through the donations I don’t think he has had very many large amount
donors. Of the 124 individual donations
listed, only 16 were from out of state.
Occupational clusters include finance and lawyers. He has also won the support of a Lutheran
minister. Among the PAC donations there
are clusters in insurance, banking and finance.
Like Meehan he received contributions from the Tuesday Group and Free
& Strong America. Rep. Spencer
Baucus’s PAC, Growth & Prosperity PAC donated $5k. The Mortgage Bankers Association also
donated. The Log Cabin Republicans
contributed. In disbursements, Mr.
Fitzpatrick really used the plastic. A
lot of disbursements were put on Amex.
There are a lot of catering expenses.
A few other things that jumped out at me are an over $1,000 lodging
expense at the Intercontinental Hotel in NY, but that may be associated with
the Pennsylvania Society meeting. In
February the campaign spent $7k on catering and $4,600 on lodging at the Hyatt
Regency in DC. How many people are you
putting up at a hotel to spend over $4K on lodging? There is a $11K catering expense at the
Temperance House and $12K on catering at Spring Mill Manor. That’s not all of the catering expenses. The campaign paid nearly $2k for photography
and then another $200 to another photographer.
For a fiscal conservative Mr. Fitzpatrick has a lot of debt. He owes $10K for polling, $15K for
consulting, $16K for advertising, $20k to one fundraiser, and $13K to another fundraiser.

13th Congressional District

Allyson Schwartz, Incumbent District (first elected
2004)

Receipts

Itemized 301,765.63

Unitemized 8,089.00

Total of Contributions from
Individuals 309,854.63 / 317,504.63

Political Party Committees 11.85 /
11.85

PACs 84,500.00 / 85,900.00

Total Contributions: 394,366.48 / 403,416.48

Offsets to Operating Expenditures
(Refunds, etc.): 31.37 / 194.26

Other Receipts: 2,169.94 /
3,638.39

Total Receipts: 396,567.79 / 407,249.13

Disbursements

Operating Expenditures: 74,184.04 / 213,565.25

Contribution Refunds: 0.00 / 2,100.00

Other Disbursements: 300,770.00 /
303,295.00

Total Disbursements: 374,954.04 /
518,960.25

Cash Summary.

Cash On Hand At Beginning Of
Reporting Period 1,405,093.07
Total Receipts 396,567.79
Total Disbursements 374,954.04

Cash On Hand At Close Of The
Reporting Period 1,426,706.82

Of the over 280 itemized individual donations, roughly a
fourth were from out of state. About 40
people have maxed out contributions for the primary election, an additional 11
have maxed out donations for the primary and the general. There are no celebrities or notable names in
the donor list other than some political names that frequently show up (Connie
Williams, Bob Borski). There are occupational clusters in the arts and the
healthcare industry. Among the
interesting occupations in the list are horse trader, metal trader, and scrap
dealer. In PAC donations there are a lot
of $1,000 to $5,000 donations from healthcare industry groups. Other clusters are labor and finance. The one donation that is larger than the others
is a total $10,000 donation from a bipartisan group that promotes the relationship
between the US and Israel.

In disbursements, Schwartz has paid $300K to the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee. The
campaign paid $17K to a DC fundraising firm, $1,200 to a website hosting firm,
$3,000 to the PA Democratic Party for a voter file, $2,000 for postage, health
insurance for her staff, city, state, and federal taxes, and continuing
payments on a car for campaign use.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

This weekend's Wall Street Journal has an interesting article, "Skilled jobs are difficult to fill," by Ben Casselman (11/26-27). It focuses on the problem some companies have hiring skilled technical workers -- people who aren't required to have a four year degree but do have some training above the high school level. One of the story threads follows a recruiter for Union Pacific as she tries to hire installation technicians. The job involves climbing 50 foot towers or utility poles, being away from home half the time, and working outdoors in a variety of climates. The salary starts at $48K and there is possibility for overtime. Workers pay 15% of their health care benefits. There is a union and the job has a pension attached. I don't know anything about the job other than what is in the article but I wonder if someone could physically do that kind of work long enough to get to retirement / pension age.

The article says that time away from home is one reason the company has trouble filling the jobs. I noticed something else. When people apply there is an initial screening. Those that pass are invited "to take a $25 aptitude test at their own expense." Twenty-four people were invited to take the test, 18 did, and 13 passed. Of those only two accepted an invitation to interview.

This is what struck me -- people had to pay to take an aptitude test; it cost a total of $450 to pay for those 18 people to take that test. This is after an initial screening. Why didn't Union Pacific pick up that cost, especially if they have trouble hiring for that job?

As a contrast, the CEO of Union Pacific, Jim Young, earned $12 million in 2010, including a bonus of $3.7 million (see "Union Pacific CEO's compensation grows to $12 million," by Josh Funk, AP 3/26/2011). What do you think the odds are that he had to pay $25 out of pocket to take an aptitude test before he was hired? I wonder if he pays for 15% of his health care insurance.

One rationale given for the high rate of pay for corporate executives is that these are talented people who work hard at difficult jobs and you have to pay them a lot. I don't disagree with that; corporate executives do work hard and the job is difficult. But it isn't easy being up on a 50 foot tower in a Wyoming winter either. I think the least Union Pacific could do is pay for the aptitude test for job applicants that have already passed a preliminary screening.

In any event, I don't have much sympathy for Union Pacific in this regard.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

On Friday, Nov. 25th SEPTA's Santa Express arrives at the Gallery at Market East at 10:24. (Next year the local papers, moving their offices to the Gallery, will be able to cover the event almost right from their front door.) There will be a parade through the gallery to start off the holiday (e.g. shopping) season. Some of Santa's helpers will be riding other trains to the event. This is the 21st annual Santa Express.

Monday, November 21, 2011

From time to time people send me info on new books they've written or are promoting and would like me to read and blog about. If they fall into my general blog wheelhouse, are easily findable, and look interesting I try to oblige.

Findable is tricky. As a general rule I don't accept freebies, and accepting a physical book means giving out an address, which I'm wary of doing. This week, however, an author sent me information about a book and also a digital copy, so I didn't have to buy or borrow it. It's in my wheelhouse and looked interesting, so, here goes.

Making It In the Political Blogophere by Dr. Tanni Haas. (Cambridge: Lutterworth Press, 2011)

The subtitle of this book, "The World's Top Political Bloggers Share the Secrets to Success," tells you the general gist of it. The use of the word "world" is a little misleading. Much like the baseball teams in the World Series, the bloggers in this book all write in America. Success is defined in terms of readership and overall influence. Thus, the bloggers interviewed all tend to cover national topics, which does kind of broaden your readership. Haas is to be credited for including four women in his list of 20 bloggers.

Haas writes a general introduction and then provides interviews with the bloggers, followed by a final chapter in which Haas summarizes the pathway to success as he views it. The questions are standardized although there are also questions specific to blogs / bloggers, and follow up questions. I don't know if these are full transcripts or if Haas edited the interviews. If he discussed that in the introduction I missed it.

It's interesting from a readers' standpoint to see what these folks have to say. There are some themes, as Haas picks up on in his conclusions. Many of the bloggers recommended that beginners start by commenting on existing blogs or by posting at group blogs. If these posts and comments are well-received then the write can move on to their own blog. Another suggestion is to find a niche that isn't being covered and start a blog on that subject, provided the writer knows something about it or is willing to learn.

From my perspective as a blogger for a limited geographic region there were a few topics that were not discussed. Take, for example, the title of the conclusion, "How to Plan, Produce, and Promote a Successful Political Blog." One of the recommendations is to write a local blog, yet by Haas's definition, readership and influence, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for a local blog to be successful. Two examples or suggestions are covering a neighborhood in New York or the city of Detroit. The New York blog is referenced as bringing in about $1,500 a month in ads. That really isn't enough to live on so whoever writes that blog must either reside in a cardboard box or have a second job.

That leads to another topic that was barely covered in the book, the amount of time needed to keep a blog going. Some of the bloggers write about the time needed to manage a blog -- answering emails, etc., but few talk about the time to put together good meaty posts, though they do reference the need to be credible and accurate. Only one discusses the hardship of balancing a blog and a day job. None talk about the balancing a job and a blog and a family, especially children. All but the one of those interviewed seem to make a living from their writing, however none talk about the administrative aspects of managing advertising. They do talk about the issues surrounding the management of comments and contributors but not the business issues. Most have writing or government backgrounds, although a few discuss previous jobs in more mundane areas.

Broadening out the definition of success or discussing the challenges of
writing a local or regional blog, or the challenge of blogging with a
day job, would have added more to the conversation, but there's no doubt
I'm prejudiced in this regard.

The bloggers interviewed cover a full spectrum of political beliefs and a few who cover issues from a nonpartisan view or a broad range of political viewpoints. Their advice to potential bloggers tends to be similar regardless of political bent.

Those interested in the background of many of the better known national political bloggers will enjoy this book. At 179 pages, it is a quick read, and it is possible to dip in and read one or more of the interviews at a time and then set it aside for a few days before picking it up again. It would certainly be a good holiday gift for the politico on your list.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Every year SEPTA conducts an emergency drill in accordance with the federal mandate requiring passenger railroads to conduct a full-scale emergency simulation each calendar year. The purpose of this exercise is to evaluate SEPTA’s capability to execute its Passenger Train Emergency Preparedness Plan under a variety of scenarios and to ensure coordination with emergency responders.

Today the annual drill was held at the Miquon Train Station in Whitemarsh. The scenario involved a disabled passenger train and diesel work train on a sabotaged rail and in contact with a car. The car was on two wheels and leaning against the back of a train. Rescue workers had to use the "jaws of life" on the car.

Some transit workers and volunteers from the community acted as rail passengers. Each was assigned a specific injury and vital signs. Some roles included behavioral instructions (hysterical or unresponsive). Rescue workers came through and evaluated the passengers, some were led off the train via the stairs, others were strapped to a backboard, handed through the emergency window, and placed on a gurney. Most (all?) years a simulated passenger is in a wheelchair to give rescue crews practice working with physically disabled riders.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

A remark President Obama made in Hawaii at the APEC CEO Business Summit has been quoted out of context. Here are his full remarks:

-
"The United States is still the largest recipient of foreign
investment in the world. And there are a lot of things that make foreign
investors see the U.S. as a great opportunity -- our stability, our
openness, our innovative free market culture. But we've been a little
bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades. We've kind of taken
for granted -- well, people will want to come here and we aren't out
there hungry, selling America and trying to attract new business into
America."

The Nov. 14th issue of the New Yorker has a long in-depth article on the history of Planned Parenthood, "Birthright," by Jill Lapore. It is behind a paywall (I'm a print subscriber) but worth tracking down.

A few quotes:

P. 46: "a report published in 1965, ... , found that ninety-four per cent of women who died in New York City from illegal abortions were either black or Puerto Rican."

p. 47: Sen. Jon Kyl's "not mean to be a factual statement" comments notwithstanding, "Planned Parenthood reported that abortions make up less than three percent of it's services ..."

p. 49: on Margaret Sanger's 1917 trial: "But the judge ruled that no woman had 'the right to copulate with a feeling of security that there will be no resulting conception.' In other words, fi a woman wasn't willing to die in childbirth, she shouldn't have sex."

The article also traced the politicization of the issue, noting that until that "Republicans were more pro-choice than Democrats up until the late 1980s."

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today
announced that 46 innovative transit projects chosen for their capacity
to help cut the nation’s dependence on oil and create a marketplace for
21st century ‘green’ jobs will share $112 million in funding from the
Federal Transit Administration (FTA).“These
grants will put thousands of Americans back to work building
sustainable, energy-efficient transit vehicles and facilities across the
country,” said Secretary LaHood. “The Obama Administration is committed
to investing in the cutting-edge transportation projects that will keep
our economy moving forward.”

Projects were
selected through the FTA’s competitive Fiscal Year 2011 Sustainability
Initiative, which includes funding from two FTA programs: the Clean
Fuels Grant Program and the TIGGER III (Transit Investment in Greenhouse
Gas and Energy Reduction) Grant Program.

Among the projects funded:

The Southeastern Pennsylvania
Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will receive two grants, one for $5
million to replace diesel buses with hybrid buses that will reduce fuel
costs and save money, and another for $1.4 million to install a “wayside
energy storage system” on the Market-Frankford rail line, consisting of
a battery that stores energy generated by braking trains. The stored
electrical power can then be used later whenever energy is needed.

The SEPTA Board today voted to award a contract of up to $129.5 million to ACS Transport Solutions Group for equipment and services for the installation of a modernized fare system under the New Payment Technologies (NPT) program.

The NPT program will upgrade SEPTA’s outdated fare payment and collection system. Current fare instruments such as tokens, paper tickets and magnetic strip passes will be replaced by contactless payment devices.

Customers will have a number of options for paying fares, such as bank cards, identification cards and smart phones. For those who prefer using cash, pre-paid SEPTA cards equipped with contactless payment technology will be available for purchase.

The NPT installation project will be divided into three phases. This work is expected to be completed within three years.

The first phase focuses on design and testing, with implementation following in the second and third phases. NPT will be rolled out first on buses and trolleys, followed by the Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines, and then the Regional Rail system.

SEPTA will conduct an extensive, region-wide customer and community education and awareness program for NPT. These outreach efforts will allow SEPTA to fully explain the details of the system to the public, and demonstrate how it will be used by riders.

For the 90 percent of SEPTA customers who use buses, trolleys, the Market-Frankford Line and the Broad Street Line, the major change will be moving to a user-friendly fare system. NPT will retain some familiar transit fare elements while adding modern amenities. This includes upgrading fare boxes on buses and trolleys and turnstiles at subway stations to accept contactless payments. Customers will pay fares with a simple “tap” of their contactless device of choice upon entry to vehicles and stations.

SEPTA has devoted a section of its website to the NPT program, including details, updates and news about the initiative. Customers will find the section by following the “NPT” link at www.septa.org, or by going to www.septa.org/fares/npt.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

A brief note in the 11/14 New Yorker, "Those Huntsman Girls," by Ryan Lizza, mentions that one of Jon Huntsman's daughters, Liddy, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. Huntsman is the former governer of Utah and former ambassador to China who is one of the Republican candidates for president.

The House has passed HR 822 (read the text on www.thomas.gov, search by bill number), which says that anyone with a photo id who could get a permit to carry a concealed weapon in one state could carry it in other states. In effect, it would be a national permit to carry rule with the least restrictive state regulations setting the bar. The id requirements are not as strict as those in many of the state level voter id bills that have been introduced in several states. Here is today's statement from Mayors Against Illegal Guns:

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Boston
Mayor Thomas Menino, co-chairs of the bipartisan Mayors Against Illegal
Guns coalition, issued the following statement after House passage of
H.R. 822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act. The Senate
defeated a similar provision in 2009 and is expected to consider the
issue again soon.

“Ten months after a disturbed man carried a
concealed weapon to shoot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 18
others, six fatally, the House voted today to gut state laws on who can
carry concealed, loaded guns in public. This was an absolutely
embarrassing display of putting special interests and fund raising ahead
of public safety.

“A majority of the House ignored the
advice of police, prosecutors, domestic violence experts, faith leaders
and more than 600 mayors who made clear that this measure will put
police and communities at greater risk. Many members also cast aside
their usual respect for the authority of states to decide how to protect
public safety in their communities.

“With unemployment over nine percent and Congress taking no action to create jobs, it is astonishing that catering to the Washington
gun lobby is the top priority for House Republicans. The vast majority
of actual gun-owning Americans oppose this bill: 82 percent of them want
states, not Washington, to decide who can carry concealed, loaded guns
in public.

“We applaud the Democratic leadership, particularly Chairman Conyers,
for waging a principled fight against this bill, and offer thanks to
Republican members who stood up for police and public safety, including
Representatives Peter King, Michael Grimm, Bob Turner, Dan Lungren,
Robert Dold and others.

“The debate now moves to the Senate, which had the sense to reject this measure in 2009. We urge them to do so again.”

from the inbox, a letter Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz sent to the Supercommittee:

Last
month, I sent a letter to members of the Joint Select Committee on
Deficit Reduction – signed by 117 Members of Congress – urging you to
include a long-term solution to the broken Medicare physician payment
system as an integral component of your deficit reduction proposal. As
the Committee concludes its deliberations, I respectfully request your
consideration of the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act proposal,
which repeals the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and sets
out a clear path toward comprehensive reforms of Medicare payment and
delivery systems.

As you know, on January 1, 2012,
physicians face a scheduled reduction in Medicare payments of more than
27 percent. We owe it to seniors across the country to end this
perennial threat to Medicare beneficiaries’ access to medical services
once and for all. The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act proposal ensures patient access to physicians while promoting efficiency, quality and value in health care delivery by:

·Permanently repealing the Sustainable Growth Rate;

·Stabilizing the current payment system and providing positive payment updates for primary and

specialty providers;

·Instituting measures to ensure access to primary care;

·Aggressively testing and evaluating new payment and delivery models;

·Identifying best practices and developing a menu of delivery model options;

·Establishing a transition period for practice transformation;

·Rewarding providers for high-quality, high-value care;

·Ensuring long-term stability in the Medicare physician payment system; and

·Containing the rising growth in health care costs through delivery system reform

The
SGR has created uncertainty and instability in the health care system
and the federal budget for over a decade. True deficit reduction cannot
be achieved without measures to address the Medicare program’s $300 billion debt that has resulted from this failed policy.

Through
this process, Congress has an historic opportunity to implement sound
fiscal policy in the Medicare program in the context of broad fiscal
reforms. I urge you to seize this opportunity and incorporate the broad
reforms to the Medicare physician payment system contained in the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act proposal in your forthcoming recommendations.

This came along with the letter:

Quotes in Support of Congresswoman Schwartz’s Efforts on Medicare Physician Payment Reform

“The
132,000 internal medicine physician and medical student members of the
American College of Physicians applaud Rep. Schwartz for her bill to
repeal the flawed Medicare SGR formula, prevent devastating cuts while
stabilizing payments to all physicians for the next five years, increase
payments for undervalued services by internists and other primary care
physicians, and create incentives for physicians to transition to new
payment models aligned with value to patients, such as Patient Centered
Medical Homes,” said Virginia L. Hood, MBBS, MPH, FACP President of the American College of Physicians.
“We urge Congress to act in a bipartisan fashion to enact legislation
based on this framework, and by doing so, put an end to the cycle of
annual Medicare SGR cuts to doctors and their patients, once and for
all.”

“On behalf of the American
Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the more than 78,000 osteopathic
physicians we represent, we applaud Representative Allyson Schwartz for
her willingness to advance policies that will preserve access to quality
and timely health care for our nation’s seniors and her continued
leadership on the important issues of Medicare physician payment and
delivery system reform,” said Martin S. Levine, DO, President of the American Osteopathic Association. “Congresswoman
Schwartz’s framework is important because it not only eliminates the
SGR, but it establishes incentives for physicians to transition their
practices and care settings to more coordinated and integrated models,
thus improving the quality of care that patients receive. The three step
approach outlined in this framework is an appropriate manner in which
to address the decade-old problems associated with the SGR. We call on
Congress to act in a bipartisan manner to repeal the SGR. The framework
proposed by Congresswoman Schwartz should serve as the foundation of
this effort.”

“The American
Academy of Family Physicians greatly appreciates the leadership of Rep.
Allyson Schwartz in finding a way to address the unsustainable and
inequitable formula that determines how physicians are paid by
Medicare,” said Dr. Glen Stream, President of theAmerican Academy of Family Physicians.
“The AAFP congratulates Rep. Schwartz for her legislative proposal that
would create a ten-year path to stability in payments and would help
the complex health care delivery system better recognize the value of
primary care. Only by stabilizing the Medicare physician payment system
can we ensure that elderly and disabled patients will have access to the
care they need, when they need it. Rep. Schwartz's proposal is a strong
step forward to health care that will be better coordinated and more
patient-centered. We urge Congress to pass this legislation that would
prevent the looming 27-percent reduction in physician payments by
Medicare.”

“ACOG is happy to
applaud Rep. Schwartz’s attention to this pressing issue and the
creative and positive approach it takes utilizing numerous meaningful
ideas,” said Dr. Hal C. Lawrence, Executive Vice President of theAmerican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “We would urge serious consideration and further development of this framework.”

“The
Society of Hospital Medicine, representing the nation’s 34,000
hospitalists, commends Representative Allyson Schwartz for the
development of a legislative framework which would lead to the repeal of
the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) payment formula,” said Larry Wellikson, MD, SFHM, CEO of the Society of Hospital Medicine.
“Representative Schwartz’s framework not only provides a fair mechanism
to repeal the SGR formula, but also establishes a promising roadmap for
replacing the current Medicare physician payment system. Under this
proposal, the fee-for-service payment system and its inherent
inefficiencies will ultimately be replaced with a more cost effective
system that promotes quality and value through coordinated patient
care. Furthermore, this framework does not force all physicians into a
one size fits all solution, allowing for broader support, innovation and
a high probability of success. This proposal has great promise for
reigning in health care spending, an ever increasing contributor to our
deficit growth. We therefore support efforts to include Rep. Schwartz’s
proposal in any deficit reduction plan that is developed by the Joint
Select Committee.”

“The
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has long supported
Medicare physician payment reform and elimination of the problematic
Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula,” stated Dr. Atul Grover, Chief Public Policy Officer for theAssociation of American Medical Colleges.
“This framework is a good first step and creates a stable payment
system with predictable physician payment updates as we test and
transition to new reimbursement models, rather than simply providing a
short-term patch financed with Medicare funds currently supporting other
critical health care expenditures, including those that support the
nation’s teaching hospitals. Thank you for your leadership in working to
address this long-standing problem and the AAMC looks forward to
working with you and Congressional leaders to address this important
issue.”

“Future cuts in payments
are likely to discourage promising candidates from pursuing careers in
geriatrics and may also exacerbate the loss of practicing geriatricians
who are responsible for furnishing and directing care for our nation's
growing number of frail, older patients with multiple and complex
conditions,” said Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP, President of the American Geriatrics Society.
“Of concern, Medicare payments fail to keep up with inflation or cover
many of the services -- such as care coordination - that are integral to
providing high quality care to older adults. We need innovative models
that incent and provide coordinated, patient-centered care, which is
most likely to result in savings or, at minimum, reduced growth.
Congresswoman Schwartz, we praise your leadership on this issue and
believe that this framework serves as a positive first step towards
reforming our flawed payment system.”

Earlier this month I posted a note about a SEPTA conductor ("Mr. Blinky") who used to wear light up ties. It turns out I had part of the story wrong. Riders didn't start a petition to take his ties away. They started a petition to let him keep the ties. If you'd like to weigh in on the matter, you can use the SEPTA customer comment form will let you leave a comment one way or the other. My apologies for the misinformation. I have corrected the original post.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Congressman Bob Brady today endorsed Dan McCaffery, one of the Democratic candidates for Pennsylvania Attorney General. Here is the text of Brady's letter:

Dear Friends,

I hope this letter finds you well. As I'm sure you're aware, in
2012 our party will have the unique opportunity to elect the first
Democrat ever to the office of Attorney General. In a time filled with
corporate greed, Ponzi schemes, white-collar crimes and financial
fraud, never before has the office of Attorney General been more
important to the hardworking people of Pennsylvania. We need a bold
leader who is not afraid to fight the hard fight and bring those
accountable to justice. I am therefore asking you to join me in
supporting Dan McCaffery for Attorney General.

Dan McCaffery is a seasoned prosecutor and trial attorney who has
the qualifications and experience to win - not only the Primary, but
the General Election next November as well. As a former Assistant
District Attorney and soldier in the Army First Cavalry Division, Dan
has the requisite experience and discipline to get the job done.

As a career trial lawyer, Dan will bring a lifetime of actual
experience to this office, something no other candidate can say. I am
proud to support Dan McCaffery for Attorney General and know that with
your help, we can elect the first Democratic Attorney General in
Pennsylvania's history.

Sincerely,

Robert A. Brady, Chairman Philadelphia Democratic Party

Those unfamiliar with McCaffery can learn more about him at his campaign website: www.mccaffery2012.com. He ran for Philadelphia District Attorney in 2009 and his campaign questionnaire Neighborhood Networks is still up on their site. While it is for a different office there are some good questions and answer there. This is one of my favorite passages:

I also believe that it is finally time to hold Philadelphia’s lenient and inadequate judges accountable for their judgments. It is an unfortunate reality that today, many judges are more accountable to the party machines that elect them then to providing justice to Philadelphians.

Today's Wall Street Journal had a special small business article, "And the most innovate entrepreneur is ...." One of the companies listed is based in Philadelphia. Sand Shack LLC (say that three times quickly) originally sold coconut wood jewelry but has since expanded to include United by Blue, hoodies, purses, shirts, etc. The company collects one pound of trash, mostly on beaches, for every product sold. United by Blue products are sold online (I like the blue windmills shirt). Another cool addition to the local small business community.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Before the election I looked at the gender breakdown of
candidates for county office in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery
Counties.Now that the elections are
over, let’s check in and see how things stand.

In Bucks, the register of wills office had been held by a
Republican woman and will now be held by a Republican man, otherwise there was no change in the gender ratios.So there will be one less woman in county
office.

In Chester County the gender ratio in elected county offices
will remain the same.One more woman
will be on the Court of Common Pleas.

In Delaware County a woman was elected to county council but
the incumbent woman ran for another office so the number stays the same.One more woman will be joining the Court of
Common Pleas.

In Montgomery, the number of women in county office stayed
the same.Leslie Richards (D) was
elected to the Board of Commissioners.However, incumbent Controller Diane Morgan (D) lost to Stewart
Greenleaf, Jr. (R ), so it evens out.Another woman, Cheryl Austin (D) was elected
to the Montgomery Court of Common Pleas.

So over the four counties, for elected office, there was one gain and one loss. It's a wash. On the county's Courts of Common Pleas there were three gains.

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